Don't
you dare to say that this name doesn't ring a bell for you! Jeff Scott
Soto is the real legend of the whole hard rock and heavy metal scene,
the voice that launched many bands into the first echelon of rock music.
His collaborations featured Yngwie Malmsteen, Talisman, Takara as well
as (at times confusing but lately very successful) solo career. Being
overwhelmed with emotions is the least that can be said to discribe how
you feel when talking to him. But action, not words! Here is Mr. 'The
Voice'.

MetalKings.com:
Hello, Jeff! How are you doing?

Jeff
Scott Soto: I'm fine, thanks.

MetalKings.com:
OK, since we have the time limit we might probably stick to the mostly
unknown or rarely mentioned moments of your career.

Jeff
Scott Soto: Alright, no problem.

MetalKings.com:
But first I'd like to start from the very beginning of your carrer. How
did it all start?

Jeff
Scott Soto: Well, I first didn't listen to hard rock music at all. I loved
soul and rock'n'blues bands like Jackson 5 and others alike...

MetalKings.com:
I guess you had it in your blood since half of your family is black.

Jeff
Scott Soto: Yeah, that's right, I went crazy over those bands. But later
I got into hard rock music like Journey and others and I loved the energy
of those bands. I also knew Spanish and listened to several Latin American
bands.

MetalKings.com:
Did you learn to play any instrument or did you start as a singer?

Jeff Scott Soto: No, I used to play trumpet in a band with my brother.
I also could play piano and tried to play along with my favorite soul
and blues artists.

MetalKings.com: Some time later you joined Yngwie
J. Malmsteen and that was the launch of the Rising Force. How did it happen?

Jeff
Scott Soto: Well, Yngwie was starting a band and he was living in Los
Angeles and was checking around to find a singer for his band. So I sent
a tape and got a call from his management asking me to come to the auditions.
I came and was accepted, that's the way it went.

MetalKings.com:
So there followed several triumphant years with Yngwie but you left the
band. Why?

Jeff
Scott Soto: First I should say that I wasn't working with Yngwie, I was
working for Yngwie. We never had a real partnership, never were in the
equal position. And that did not concern our personal relations, it was
the management and all the people from Yngwie's camp. Also I didn't like
the fact that the music was quite rough and lyrics were too dark, I was
more into melody but was not the leading force of the band so I just quit
to do what I wanted to without so much pressure.

MetalKings.com:
So you joined the band Driver. Was it the same Driver that later went
on to become M.A.R.S. and record the album "Project Driver" in 1987 with
Rob Rock as a singer?

Jeff
Scott Soto: Yes, that was the very same band but in its early stages.
Basically the whole Driver band was based around ex-Ozzy Osbourne and
ex-Quiet Riot members Rudy Sarzo (bassist) and Tommy Aldridge (drummer)
who were trying to get the record contract. I joined the band and really
liked the direction. But the situation here was almost the same as in
Yngwie since management ruled over all. When I joined the band I managed
to make guitarist Craig Goldie leave Giuffria and join the band making
the previous guitar player leave. However, when the band thought I was
not right for them because we couldn't succeed for a while I was skipped
too.

MetalKings.com:
It is also a well-known fact that you worked with ex-KISS guitarist Vinnie
Vincent. How did it come around?

Jeff Scott Soto: Well, I actually sang background vocals on the 2nd album
of Vinnie Vincent Invasion "All Systems Go" (1988). And some time later
Vinnie contacted me and asked to sing on several demos he made because
he wanted to shop them to various record companies to get the new record
deal.

MetalKings.com:
So can you tell me more about Vinnie as a person? He's said to be quite
weird...

Jeff
Scott Soto: No, he was never like that with me. He was very kind and treated
me very well. I was at his home and we recorded everything fast and I
never got to know that side of his personality that many people talk about.

MetalKings.com:
OK, let's talk about that band Kryst The Conqueror. What was the band
all about and why the full-length album was never released?

Jeff
Scott Soto: Actually the whole project was organized my some ex-members
of Misfits who wanted to get into a more positive musical direction rather
than Misfits. The music was going to be more melodic and that's why I
took the pseudonym of Kryst The Conqueror. Actually all members had pseudonyms.
But before the recordings were over the band was finished, the band split
up. Also the quality of those recordings was not good enough and we failed
to find a record contract as well.

MetalKings.com:
Another unknown fact of your career concerns work with ex-Megadeth axeman
Jeff Young...

Jeff
Scott Soto: Well, in most of such cases it happened or happens in the
following way. People ask me to record vocals, we discuss details, I do
my part of the job and get paid for what I do. With Jeff it was more or
less the same thing.

MetalKings.com:
But since those recordings were never released I wonder what was the music
like? Obviously it couldn't be in the vein of Megadeth.

Jeff
Scott Soto: No, no, nothing like Megadeth. The music was in the style
of Journey and Aerosmith.

MetalKings.com: In the mid-1990s you released the
debut solo album "Love Parade" (1995) and later to promote the album the
album "24th Of June: Alive'n'Kissing" was released only as a promo. How
did it happen that you, Michael Voss (ex-Mad Max, Casanova, Demon Drive),
Neal Grusky (Takara) and some other musicians played on that album?

Jeff
Scott Soto: Well, when my debut album was released the record company
decided to organize a press conference and invite many reporters from
various countries. That was the way that many people could gather in one
room and ask many different questions and find out everything they wanted
to know. And just before it happened we thought that it could be interesting
to play an acoustic set after all the questions were answered. So the
set was recorded and released but in very small quantaties.

MetalKings.com:
Also can you comment on all events that happened with Talisman? Why did
you need Human Clay and Humanimal?

Jeff
Scott Soto: Talisman was formed in early 1990s and went on to tour and
release albums up to 1995. That's when we decided to put the band on ice
since the latest album did not sold as good as the previous ones. And
we were also having troubles with our guitar player. That's when we got
an offer to do a Human Clay album. It was supposed to be just one album
as Human Clay but the record company proposed the second one and we recorded
it but that was the end. Then we re-launched Talisman and recorded one
more album but it failed again and Marcel got an offer to make an album
so we decided to call it Humanimal after a Talisman album title so people
could know it were the same people from Talisman. The whole album became
possible also due to our guitar player at that time Pontus Norgren. He
released an album through that company (Z Records) and helped us sign
the contract. And after the album was released troubles with the record
company started piling up so we abandoned the whole thing. Soon we found
the right guitar player for Talisman in Howie Simon and the band is now
up and running.

MetalKings.com:
When you worked with Axel Rudi Pell you had keyboard player whose name
was Julie Greaux. What is now happening with her?

Jeff
Scott Soto: To tell you the truth, I got no idea. She was my fiancee and
songwriting partner and I once brought her with me to Germany because
I knew that Axel needed a keyboard player so Julie became a part of the
line-up. But then we parted and I don't know what happened to her later.
I've heard that she played with Billy Joel but that's all I know.

MetalKings.com:
By the way, talking about Axel. Many of my friends consider you last album
with Axel "Magic" (1997) to be the best one of all your years with him
and one of the best he ever recorded.

Jeff
Scott Soto: Really? I can't believe it. (Pause) Well, the whole album
was done not in the way that it could be done. I recorded my stuff in
the States and Axel finished the album in Germany. He wanted me to go
on tour with him but I couldn't because I had many projects and recordings
and I was also working with Boogie Knights so I had to leave Axel because
of my unavailability.

MetalKings.com:
You also worked with Yngwie again on the album "Inspiration" (1996). How
did it happen and didn't you plan to go on tour?

Jeff
Scott Soto: Yngwie called me and asked to do a song with him. I said,
"No problem! I'll come and do it!" So we were in his studio, spent some
time together and even planned to go on tour. But that's when management
got in our way again and screwed up the whole thing. That's why Mark Boals
went on tour instead of me.

MetalKings.com:
But I have the video clip of "Carry On Wayward Son" with Mark Boals lip-syching
to your studio singing and the clip is shot live at a concert somewhere.

Jeff
Scott Soto: (very suprised) Really? I never heard about it! Is it that
very studio version with my vocals in the clip?

MetalKings.com:
Yes.

Jeff
Scott Soto: Unbelievable! That's the second time when Mark is lip-syching
to my vocals in the history of Yngwie.

MetalKings.com:
So when was the first time?

Jeff
Scott Soto: It was just when I left the band on the song "I'll See The
Light Tonight". Mark had short hair when he joined Yngwie for the first
time and had to use hair extensions to become a real metal singer. That's
when they took a live version of "I'll See The Light Tonight" and Mark
was lip-syching to my voice in the clip. Some people even didn't know
it was Mark in the clip.

MetalKings.com:
So what do think if Yngwie calls you tomorrow and proposes to go on tour
together? Would you do that?

Jeff
Scott Soto: I think I will. But only if we have equal rights and equal
partnership and the management wouldn't dictate to us what to do or say.
If it happens in the right way I'm all for that.

MetalKings.com:
I also wanted to know your opinion on the current state of rock music
in the States and Europe. Do you think that the European audience was
always much more loyal than the American one?

Jeff
Scott Soto: Yes, I agree with you. If you have fans in Europe they will
be there today and many years later and you can always rely on them. I
think the situation with music in the States reminds of a cake; you can
only eat it when it's fresh. When time is up it's rotten and can only
be thrown away.

MetalKings.com:
The last question is about the book written about you by a fan in Germany.
I have the book but it's in German. So is it possible that it would be
translated into English?

Jeff
Scott Soto: Well, I have no idea about it. I was really surprised to know
about the book myself. I thought, "Wow, somebody's writing a book about
me!" The guy contacted me and asked questions about my past. I also cannot
read the book but I think if the guy gets enough requests he might publish
the book in English one day.

MetalKings.com:
Well, Jeff, we're running out of time. In the end I would like to express
my biggest thanks for all your years in the world of rock music and hope
for many more to come!